Rep. Kaptur Addresses NOAA 2015 Harmful Algal Bloom Prediction
Heavy rainfall in June pulled agricultural runoff into Lake Erie; “severe” HAB season now expected
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur issued the following statement in response to announced predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its research partners that the “2015 western Lake Erie harmful algal bloom season will be among the most severe in recent years and could become the second most severe behind the record-setting 2011 bloom”. Experts participating in NOAA’s presentation today agreed that approximately 80 percent of annual phosphorous runoff comes from agricultural sources.
“After the heavy rainfall last month, expert predictions for this year’s harmful algal bloom season have gone from moderate to severe,” said Rep. Kaptur. “This rapid shift shows the need for a concerted strategy that allows us to adapt quickly. That means monitoring the flow of nutrients into Lake Erie in real time and tracing those nutrients back to their sources as early as possible in the nutrient loading season.
“We have made real progress over the past year applying federal and local investments to establish new and improved tributary monitoring, bloom tracking, and water treatment. But until we get serious about identifying and intervening at the source, we will continue to see severe harmful algal blooms emerge in Lake Erie.
“Today’s expert presentation confirmed what past scientific evidence has shown: agricultural operations are still spreading fertilizer and manure on fields in ways that do not allow it to be entirely absorbed into the soil, leaving the leftover nutrients to be quickly washed into our waterways when it rains. We need to identify and partner with these operations to adapt farming practices and land applications that are safer and more efficient. I also strongly support the scientific consensus that we need to achieve a 40 percent reduction in total phosphorous entering Lake Erie from all sources, including from Michigan, Indiana and Canada, since it is phosphorous that feeds the blooms.
“I want to thank NOAA and all partners in this effort. Their work this year continues to give us the scientific evidence we need to make better choices and protect our most valuable natural resource, Lake Erie. It is my sincere hope that leaders across Ohio will act with dispatch and not kick the can down the road any further.”
According to the information NOAA and its partners released today, the 2015 algal bloom season is predicted to measure 8.7 on the severity index with a range from 8.1 to potentially as high as 9.5. This suggests the 2015 season will be more severe than last year’s 6.5, and may equal or exceed 2013 levels, when Lake Erie saw the second worst bloom season on record.
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